


Gains and Losses

by teh_gelfling



Series: Bits and Bobs [9]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Family Drama, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Transformer Sparklings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:41:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teh_gelfling/pseuds/teh_gelfling
Summary: Imma catch hell for the end of this one, I can feel it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Imma catch hell for the end of this one, I can feel it.

Drift woke on a soft berth instead of the padded floor he was expecting. Something warm was pressed up against his side and laying partially on his upper leg. His whole body felt heavy and he didn’t really want to wake up, but he needed to know where he was.

Opening his optics told him nothing immediately; just the same ceiling that ran throughout the entire ship. But then he looked down at the thing lying on him and everything came crashing back to him.

Bob.

The Insecticon’s head rested on his thigh and though Drift couldn’t see any optic light, he seemed to be on watch duty. What better way to sleep while keeping your charge from leaving than by laying on them? If Drift moved -- to sit up, to move away -- it would wake the sleeping bug.

So he resigned himself to more sleep. His frame thanked him for it. Four hours of hard fragging had taken its toll, and he sank almost immediately back into oblivion.

\oOOo/

Heated voices woke him this time. Bob was still there against him, but his head was pointed at the door and antennae perked at the sounds of argument. Drift rolled to the opposite side of the berth before Bob could stop him and stood. Bob whined behind him as he walked to the door and pressed the release.

Nothing.

Locked in. He popped the panel for the door controls even as he tried his command override. Knowing Ratchet, it wouldn’t work anyway. And he was right. So he did a sloppy but effective hack job to let himself out.

Bob was right beside him when he walked out into a verbal war zone with Ratchet on one side full of righteous anger and Sunstreaker on the other, fielding accusations as well as the frontliner was able.

“Drift!” Ratchet barked. “You, Sunny, shoosh. Drift, if you want to press charges, I don’t blame you. What Sunny tells me happened, you have every right.”

“What exactly did Sunstreaker tell you happened?” Drift asked carefully, eyeing them both. Bob nuzzled his hand and he absently scritched the bug’s head..

“That he knowingly left you alone with Bob in heat. What he said to you after I told him to rescue you. What happened after you left. The fact that he, for all intents and purposes, forced himself on you.”

“Ah, that. Maybe we should sit down.”

“I’d love to, but the majority of the cushions for our furniture are making up Bob’s nest and I’m not sure I can sit beside Sunstreaker without trying to slap some smarts into his head.”

“Okay. We can work out seating. You sit in the sofa that still has its cushions and Sunstreaker and I can sit on the arms of the one without. There, problem solved.”

Ratchet glared at him, but moved to the smaller sofa and levered himself carefully down into it. Sunstreaker silently moved to the far arm of the large sofa, staying out of Ratchet’s reach.

“Okay. First, I’m not pressing charges. For any of it. To be honest, fragging Bob was one of the greatest things I’ve experienced. I would hope that Sunstreaker would sincerely apologise for the things he said about me, but I’m leaving that up to him. And as for the rape allegations, I did agree to the terms when I accepted the challenge, and I really did need it, anyway. So no harm done there.”

Ratchet stared at him. “Fine,” he finally said. “It’s your choice. At least I won’t have to deal with the buglets alone while Sunny sits in the brig.”

“Ratchet, even if I did press charges, you wouldn’t be alone. You’ve got Bob there, and Rung, and myself. We wouldn’t leave you in the lurch.”

“I appreciate that.”

Sunstreaker looked directly at Drift then. “You realise you’re part of the family now. The bits love you and Bob’s claimed you as his. Though, technically, you did the claiming.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. And as much as it pains me to admit I was wrong, I am sorry for the things I said. You’re better than all that, just for being willing to be there for Ratch.”

“I’d do anything for Ratchet.”

Sunstreaker snorted. “Someone’s got it bad for you, Ratch.”

“I figured that out when he practically worshipped me when we fragged before Bob called me about you.”

“Wait. You fragged him? And didn’t say anything?”

“Things _did_ get a little hairy there for a while, if you remember, what with you overheating, Bob’s heat, and me going into labour.”

“Point.”

“So what happens now that I’m part of the family?” Drift asked.

“You get the code for the door. You get to frag any one of us who’s willing, and believe me, we have a _very_ active sex life. And you get to help take care of the bits. If you want to move in, we can manage that. The berth will expand a bit more so we can all sleep there.”

“I thought you said you’d moved it as big as it would get.”

“No, I said it was one step from as big as it would get. Your memory is faulty. Maybe you should get that looked at.”

Drift smiled at the banter, glad the previous tension had eased. “I think I’ll keep my regular quarters, but it wouldn’t be a problem to stay over here.”

“No one said you had to give up your quarters. Sunny still has his. Uses them as an art studio. He and Bob just moved in here because it was more convenient for all of us.”

“Ah.”

_::Rung to Ratchet.::_

_::Go ahead.::_

_::The sparklings are getting restless and want their Ama. And I’m worried about Gage; he’s been sleeping an awful lot and has very little energy.::_

_::All right. We’ll come pick them up here in a minute.::_

_::Thank you.::_

“That’s right. When I was watching them, Gage played a little bit, but then came over and snuggled in my lap and slept. Shadow said there was something wrong with him.”

Ratchet immediately started going over possible causes in his head. Some were nothing too serious, but others were life-threatening, and he tried to rein in his fear. “We’ll need to get some tests run on him ASAP. It could be nothing, but I don’t want to take the chance.”

“I’ll go get them if you want me to,” Drift offered.

“I’m going too. It’ll be easier with the two of us. Rung has Echo with him also, and you might need both hands for whichever one you carry. Ratchet, you stay here and either rest or get the medibay ready to run tests on Gage. Preferably rest, because you need it and First Aid and Ambulon are perfectly capable of running those tests.”

“Like hell I’m resting until I know what’s wrong with that bitlet. You ought to know me better than that by now, Sunny.”

“Oh, I do. But I can always hope.”

“Pfft. Just go get them and bring Gage to me.”

*

“Ah, there you are,” Rung greeted them cheerfully with a sleeping Gage in his arms. “We had a lot of fun, and they’ve been fed, so they should be good for a while. They were just missing you, Sunstreaker. I fear that my worry over Gage had transferred to them all, also. They’re treating him as though he were made of spun glass.”

“I’ll carry Gage. You get Echo.” Sunstreaker said. “Thanks for watching them, Rung.”

“It was no problem. I enjoy having sparklings about.”

“That’s good because we’re going to have more. Bob went into heat. I have no clue how many he’ll have.”

“You’re growing quite the family, Sunstreaker. I’m happy for you.”

“Drift’s part of it now, too.”

“Congratulations!”

“Thanks.” Drift picked up the youngest addition to the family and cuddled him close. Dash took a flying leap off the couch and landed on the white mech’s back, arms holding on tight so he wouldn’t fall off. Sunstreaker accepted Gage from Rung and ran a gentle hand over his cheek as he slept. Shadow and Gadget each took a golden leg and sat on Sunstreaker’s feet.

“I guess we’re ready to go, then. Thank you again for taking such good care of them.”

“I’m happy to be of help. I’ll see you next time,” Rung said with a smile and a wave.

The two walked back through the halls toward medibay and their quarters, passing a few mechs who looked bemused at the sight of all the sparklings clinging to them. Clearly the word was getting around that the sparklings were not the abominations that some mechs had proclaimed them to be early on.

Instead of going to their quarters, they went directly to medibay. Ratchet was there, directing his subordinates. He swooped in and gathered up Gage, then carried him to the diagnostic table, where they immediately began running scans. The sparkling never woke up through all the fuss.

“Run a baseline and compare it to the original,” Ratchet ordered.

First Aid’s fingers flew across the datapad he held. Once the scan completed, he pulled up the original baseline from when the bitlets were born and compared them. Everything that was relevant matched except one thing.

“Ratchet…” First Aid sounded very reluctant to say anything, sympathy strong in his voice.

“What is it?”

“His…” Aid choked up. “I’m sorry. It’s slow, but his spark is failing.”


End file.
